The Neighborhood Restaurant Group will open its hotly anticipated new restaurant, Hazel, early next week.

The new restaurant — a concept by former Tallula chef Rob Rubba — will open at 808 V St. NW on Monday, the company announced in a press release this afternoon.

When it opens, diners can expect a menu that includes shared plates of zucchini bread with foie gras mousse, crispy chickpea tofu and “Gnocchi Bokki” with pork-kimchi ragu, perilla seeds, and smoked pecorino. The menu also includes two “Lazy Susan” offerings — a Peking duck-style dish and a collection of seasonal dishes — served on “handmade wooden pieces.”

Drinks include craft beer, wine by the bottle and glass and a cocktail list split into two categories: “delicate” and “complex.”

Hazel features a 38-seat dining room, a 16-seat bar and a 38-seat outdoor patio.

(Updated at 4:06 p.m.) Photographs of local murals and paintings of Metro cars adorn the walls. D.C.-inspired food and drinks fill out the menu. Is this a Boston-based burger chain or a local restaurant? Well, maybe both, said Tasty Burger owner David DuBois.

“This is about our investment in Shaw,” DuBois said while giving us a tour of the forthcoming burger joint. “This was the neighborhood we felt most acclimated to, that we felt like Tasty fit the best in,” DuBois said.

When Tasty Burger arrives at the Atlantic Plumbing development (2108 8th St. NW) some time later this month, it will not only bring with it burgers and fries, but a “comfortable” local feel, both in its food and in its design, DuBois said.

The location’s menu will include mumbo dipping sauce and a gin rickey cocktail, two culinary items rumored to have been invented here in D.C.

And the eatery’s design is a testament to its owner’s attention to detail. Photos and paintings meant to invoke Shaw — things like iconic buildings, murals, Duke Ellington sheet music — adorn the walls. And little touches like a one-of-a-kind painted steer skull, roomy booths, a foosball table and a custom-made Coke bottle chandelier help put people at ease, DuBois said.

“I don’t want people thinking… this is a Boston place coming to D.C. because that’s not who we are,” he explained. “We’re a neighborhood restaurant group wherever we are. That’s just who we are.”

DuBois — who even rents the apartment above the restaurant — also hopes to make D.C.’s only Tasty Burger totally unique, much like the neighborhood itself.

“We’re here. This is our neighborhood now,” he said. “There’s nothing like this anywhere but here.”

Filmmakers in D.C. and throughout the world have a chance of getting 180 seconds of airtime on the forthcoming PBS television series filmed at the 9:30 Club.

The TV music variety show, “Live at 9:30,” is taking submissions from the public for its “180 at 9:30” short-film segments. The films — which must last exactly three minutes and “be music-related or prominently feature music ” — will air during each episode, according to a Live at 9:30 news release distributed today.

Crossing where 9th and V streets and Florida Avenue meet is tedious at best, scary at worst. Without a stoplight or a stop sign to slow them down, drivers often speed through the walkway. And although they’re supposed to stop at the crosswalk when pedestrians are crossing, some drivers just don’t, at least not until you step in front of them.

Earlier this week, I posed a question to Twitter: Does this crosswalk freak you out? The responses I got ranged from “yes, always” to one user calling it “terrifying.”

This is hardly a new issue. As outlined by Greater Greater Washington, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has discussed installing a traffic signal at the intersection for years.

Last year, DDOT said the construction of a new stoplight at the intersection could begin between October of this year and May of next year. But as more stores and restaurants open in and around the new Atlantic Plumbing development on V Street, foot traffic at the intersection is bound to increase quickly.

We want to know: Do you think this improvement needs to come sooner than later? Weigh in by voting in the poll and telling us what you think in the comments.

Mexo-Americana band David Wax Museum is pretty psyched to play U Street Music Hall on Nov. 21, but they’re definitely not above performing at a good house show. Though vocalists and instrumentalists David Wax and Susan “Suz” Slezak have roots in Boston, some of the duo’s fondest memories were forged during nights spent playing shows in D.C. living rooms.

We spoke with Wax earlier this week to preview the band’s upcoming show:

Borderstan: What are your expectations for U Street Music Hall?

David Wax: I think the sense I’ve got is that it’s like a little bit more of like a sweaty rock group than the 9:30 Club, which has a little bit of that kind of like majestic rock room feel. I think that to [perform in] a packed U Street Music Hall is going to feel really good.

Susan’s from Virginia, that’s where we live nowadays so we started coming to D.C. really early on and building up. One of the most unique ways of building up the band for us in terms of doing these 15 house concerts in D.C.

I feel like we’ve made a real personal connection with a lot of our fans there and [I] kind of really just won people over one person at a time and one living room at a time. There’s just a real special vibe when we play D.C. People who have got to see us from our earliest early stages have kind of grown along with the band.

Take me back to some of those house shows starting out. How did you get hooked up with them and what was your very first house show in D.C. like?

There was a guy I grew up with in Missouri who was living in D.C. and he organized the first one and he sat in with us. He was someone who played with us a lot when we were in D.C. And so he was kind of a real, you know, person that was super involved in community life there and was able to get 40 people together in a living room to see a band that nobody’s ever heard of.

It was kind of like a raucous party with 40 people in a room and a little house in D.C. and I think from that, three or four people that saw us there were like, oh, could you do this at my place? There was just like an instant like oh, I wanna have this at my house and have my friends come and see this.

And so it really like was this kind of viral thing that just something kind of resonated with people. And there was a high concentration of young people in their 20s that, you know, were connected and could get a bunch of people together. It really fit with what peoples’ interests were and there was just some kind of line that really clicked.

Has the comfort level changed now that you’re playing in actual music venues?

In some ways you’re almost more exposed than the house show setting. Both Susan and I have been really comfortable performing since we were little kids and that’s what really draws us to being in the band. One of the most sustaining parts of the stress is getting to perform every night. There’s lessons to be learned about what connected with people in the house concert setting and the feeling of community and intimacy that you have to work harder to create in the larger venue.

We’ve been in D.C. a couple times at the 9:30 Club where we just came out in the middle of the room and everyone sat down on the floor and I feel like we’ve been able to have that kind of intimacy in those experiences that feel like some kind of sense that there’s like a transcendence.

That’s why I play music and that’s why we go and hear music. That’s why live music is still relevant to people and matters in peoples’ lives.

This interview was edited for length and clarity. Photo by Todd Roeth.

The developers behind a planded building that would house a Whole Foods near the 9:30 Club will preview the forthcoming store with free sandwiches and music from a local brass band this weekend.

MRP Realty, along with Ellis Development and JBG Companies, will host the free event at the proposed future site of a mixed-use development at 965 Florida Avenue NW on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon.

During the event, which will feature appearances from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Fresh FM’s Tommy McFly, attendees will be able to dine on free breakfast sandwiches from future tenant Whole Foods and listen to live music from local brass band Brass Connection.

Despite the pomp and circumstance slated for Saturday, plans for the new store looked murky as recently as July. An MRP spokesperson said the D.C. Council will vote on whether to approve the plan to build next Tuesday.

Though he’s a tornado of ’80s fashion and creepy crotch-grabs onstage, Stroock is a fairly normal guy during his day-to-day life as a business consultant.

Stroock, who lives in Chinatown, says his persona is a “a sex figure that’s almost humorous.”

“I work out just enough to be in shape, but there’s no reason I should be kissing my bicep or pointing at it,” Stroock says. “It’s very opposite to my day-to-day persona. It’s like me, but a very outsized version of me.”

“I was not one of those guys who was rocking out to Metallica in my bedroom when I was 12,” he explains. “The theater of it is what drew me.”

Stroock says that although his routines change year-to-year, there’s always one constant: he’s going to rip off his shirt at some point.

“In every performance that I do, I know somewhere in there I am going to tear off my shirt,” says Stroock. “It’s my signature move.”

“When you play air guitar, you’re celebrating the essence of rock,” he adds. “You’re celebrating everything it means to be a rock star without actually being the musician part of the rock star.”

Will the overly macho moves and bare chest be enough to take home the world title? Stroock sure hopes so.

Until then: “I’m revisiting what my routine was and practicing,” Stroock says. “Definitely hitting the gym.”

According to the application, the cinema aims to operate as a “high-end theatre with a cafe, serving patrons a variety of food offerings, including local specialties and spirits,” with indoor seating for 369 patrons. The cinema also aims to have a summer garden with seating for 14.

StonewallSports is celebrating its first five years of fitness and camaraderie by throwing a bash of epic proportions. While the party winds down at 11 p.m., the after-party will keep going at the 18th and U Duplex Diner.

Uncivil Union, a special benefit concert for The Ally Coalition, will bring together artists and comedians to end discrimination against the LGBTQ community. This event is headlined by W. Kamau Bell, Bridget Everett, Rachel Dratch, Chelsea Shorte and a host of special guests.

The oh-so adorable and cuddly otters are joining forces with CTRL, DC’s electro-mayhem dance party, to bring you disco beats and anthems all night. Be sure to leave your pants at the door, but not your dancing shoes.

Paradise Mirage is a tribute to one of America’s most influential LGBT nightclubs, Paradise Garage. U Street Music Hall “will be aesthetically transformed to represent a Paradise Garage-like atmosphere,” says the event page.

Bottomless champagne, mimosas, bloody marys, and vodka drinks. This event features DJ Matt Bailer and live entertainment by the SAX dancers.

During the day, Khelan Bhatia is a campaign manager. But by night, he’s a DJ at the Duplex Diner and other locales, and has performed at ’80s dance party, BreakfastClub, regularly for the last three years.

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

Borderstan certainly has options when it comes to an expensive night out. From wining and dining at the latest restaurants, to evenings filled with theatre and live music, Borderstan offers a little bit of everything for a top-shelf experience. Hell, even parking (or a parking ticket) will cost you a chunk of your wallet.

However, just because the price tags on some of the neighborhood’s items are higher than you’d like to pay, it doesn’t mean you can’t have a great night out at a moderate price.

Often, I put myself on a budget of $20 – but that doesn’t stop me from going to some of the area’s best spots. Here’s what $20 will get you in Borderstan.

Floriana: Crepes with Meyer lemon, housemade ricotta and mission fig glaze AND a glass of pinot noir. Nothing beats Floriana (1602 17th Street NW) for fantastic Italian food in an intimate setting. And the best news: You don’t need a Benjamin to experience it all. My secret is to order a starter and a good glass of wine. That way, you can enjoy a delicious and seasonal taste (and wine!) for under $20.

9:30 Club: An evening with Best Coast. The 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW) is one of the best venues on the East Coast to see the nation’s best bands. And thankfully, most tickets are right around (or less than) $20. On June 4, California-based indie band Best Coast is bringing its Los Angeles-inspried rock to (what I like to call) the best coast. Tickets are $20 and include two opening bands.

Local 16: One personal pizza and three drinks. Local 16 (1602 U Street NW) has one of the best happy hours in the neighborhood – and it lasts until 8 pm, which is arguably the best part. For $20, you can get a pizza (tomato, mozzarella and basil) for $5 and three glasses of wine or three featured cocktails ($5 each), like the mojito.

Local galleries and The Pig: An evening of art, plus lentil and bacon stew and a cocktail. Exposing yourself to culture doesn’t mean you need to expose your bank account to the negative sign. The best thing about having so many art galleries around is that you can browse various exhibits for free. Check out Contemporary Wing (1412 14th Street NW), Gallery plan b (1530 14th Street NW) and Hamiltonian Gallery (1353 U Street NW) for their latest exhibits. Then, head over to The Pig (1320 14th Street NW) for a Lentil and bacon stew with pomegranate reduction and herbed crème fraiche ($10) and the Wilbur cocktail (redemption rye and pineapple-rosemary syrup for $9.50).

Black Cat: Titus Andronicus and a beer. On Sunday, May 19, catch favorite band Titus Andronicus at the Black Cat (1811 14th Street NW) for $15 and score a beer before the show for $5. Opening band is So So Glos. Enjoy your night!

Masa 14: Two appetizers and two cocktails. The happy hour at Masa 14 (1825 14th Street NW) is very friendly toward the $20 budget. For less than $20, you can score two mojitos (or margaritas) and two appetizers (like a crunchy shrimp handroll or marinated portobello pao buns). Everything on the happy hour menu is $4 each.

Of course there are many other $20 combinations in and around the neighborhood. What are some of your favorites?

Construction may start in July on the Atlantic Plumbing Building project by JBG Companies and Walton Street Capital. The project will bring three residential buildings and more than 25,000 square feet of retail space to 8th and V Streets NW, near the 9:30 Club.

The project includes retail space dedicated to local artists, luxury “green” amenities and streetscape improvements.

The addresses for the three sites are:

807 V Street NW and 2112 8th Street NW

2030 8th Street NW

933-945 Florida Avenue NW

JBG representatives recently gave an update on the project and expect to receive raze permits for the buildings at 2030 8th Street, 807 V Street and 2112 8th Street next week. They will start demolition as soon as possible. JBG hasn’t yet selected a general contractor but once they have they will be meeting with all surrounding neighbors to discuss construction traffic control plans, construction mobilization and staging-delivery plans, pedestrian pathways, parking, security, etc.

The parking garage access was moved to 8th Street due to pedestrian safety and possible traffic backups mid-block on V Street NW.

The project will tie in with the 9:30 Club and other neighbors, “targeting more artistic/cultural uses including a possible small theater, as well as a café or restaurant,” said James Nozar from JBG Cos. in an interview given to Borderstan last year.

From Melanie Hudson. Follow her at @champagne_me or Email her at melanie[AT]borderstan.com. Featured photo: “Cool Disco Dan” by Hudson.

By now you’ve heard about the new exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s, which is lighting up Twitter and Instagram and popping up everywhere in your Facebook feed. Finally, the culture critics say, Washington has an exhibit all its own, featuring the only musical form indigenous to the area — go-go — and attracting tastemakers from all over.

But here’s my advice, Borderstanis, don’t just go to the exhibit. Do the Washington thing and attend a lecture or panel discussion. This month, the Corcoran is offering a series of events to highlight the show, geared at all of the music geeks and amateur music historians out there. Each of these events is full of such cool information, it will no doubt figure prominently as your standard “Did you know…” conversation piece from here on.

The History of Go-Go

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a primer: in the aftermath of the riots of 1968 when neighborhoods across the city were destroyed, Chuck Brown emerged with a new funk sound (go-go), that was hyper-local to each DC neighborhood and “crew.” Around the same time, an underground punk scene was thriving with the 9:30 Club at its heart (it was downtown then).

Graffiti, street music, self-promotion and a do-it-yourself culture connected this local music scene, in a time where many people felt abandoned by a corrupt government and overwhelmed by violence. All of this resulted in something Washingtonians can now be proud of: a unique punk, hardcore, and go-go scene, now being studied by academics and historians the world over.

The Corcoran has collected (on loan from local institutions like the 9:30 Club and Globe printing press) an incredible display of memorabilia, including a huge selection of neon Globe concert posters; old music photos, flyers and record covers; DC political memorabilia (lots of stuff on Mayor-for-life Marion Barry); video footage of shows, riots, graffiti and violence; and newspaper clippings depicting the tragic murders and the rise of drugs in 1980s DC.

The exhibit was curated by Roger Gastman, a Bethesda native, publisher, filmmaker and graffiti connoisseur of “Exit Through the Gift Shop” fame, now also the guy behind the new film “Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan.” In fact, the king of DC graffiti, Cool “Disco” Dan, figures prominently in the storyline, shown tagging DC buses and making a name for himself – long before DC Donutz came around.

Events and Exhibit

Details on the events are below and the exhibit runs through April 7. All events are $10 for non-members, $8 for members, and $5 for students. Register early — you’re not the only academic in town.

Go-Go Music: The History and Evolution of DC’s Legendary Beat, Monday, March 18, 7 pm Lecture: Ever heard of ethnomusicology? Of course you have. Expert Kip Lornell, Adjunct Professor of American Music and Ethnomusicology at George Washington University and co-author of The Beat: Go Go Music from Washington, DC, will talk about go-go music’s development and ongoing popularity, including the births of bands such as Rare Essence (RE), Trouble Funk, and Junk Yard Band in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as more recent bands and their modern take.

DIY DC, Thursday, March 28, 7 pm Panel Discussion: Do-It-Yourself was not invented by Martha Stewart, people. Both go-go and punk subcultures followed a DIY approach, often promoting their own music, making their own posters and creating their own scene outside of a mainstream record label or industry. Discussion will focus on the music and gangs of pre-gentrification DC and panelists include Trouble Funk’s “Big” Tony Fisher, Rare Essence’s Andre “Whiteboy” Johnson, Washington music writer Mark Jenkins, former D.C. Police detective Donald “Goose” Gossage and Gangster George, a former member of the Gangster Chronicles crew.

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, then look no further. We have your list of the food, music and cultural events going on in (and around) Borderstan March 1, 2 and 3.

Friday, March 1

You Down With O.P.P.?: Good. Because Naughty by Nature is playing at the Howard Theatre. Tickets are $37 at the door; the show starts at 8 pm.

Journopalooza: A Benefit for Writopia Lab and Reach Incorporated at Black Cat: Support some local youth reading and writing organizations this Friday at the Black Cat with a show, featuring Cheaper than Therapy, Nobody’s Business, The Stepping Stones, Suspicious Package, Dirty Bomb and Butter. Doors open at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 in advance, $30 at the door.

All the Best Kids at Tropicalia: It’s a no-cover show, featuring an original hip hop band from the District. Formed in early 2012, ATBK weaves elements of hip hop, progressive rock and jazz into its own style of dance music. The show starts at 7 and goes until 10 pm.

Piano Bar Night at Arena Stage: Did somebody say show tunes? It might be a trip to the SW, but it sure is worth it. Grab a drink and gather ’round the piano for showtunes with host Joshua Morgan in the lobby at 9:30 pm.

Saturday, March 2

Free Bacon at U Street Music Hall: Yes, you read that correctly. U Street Music Hall will give away free bacon on Saturday, March 2 before 11 pm. Oh, and there will be music with Tittsworth, Des Mcmahon and Reed Rothchild vs. 814OFCOURSE. It all starts at 10 pm and admission is $10.

Honey Mahogany from RuPaul’s Drag Race: Voted Best Drag Queen 2011, Honey Mahogany is an international drag performer and budding recording artist. Doors open at 10 pm, the drag show starts at 10:30 pm and there are $3 drinks before 11 pm.

Sunday, March 3

Grab some brunch: Get your friends and start your day off with some eggs and a mimosa or two. Here are some favorite places the Borderstan contributors like to brunch.

The Delta Sigma Theta Sorority’s Women’s Suffrage March: This Sunday, March 3 sorority members and supporters will meet on the west front of the U.S. Capitol at 9 am to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the role the 22 Founders of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority played in the 1913 Women’s Suffrage March. For more information, visit the website.

Ever walked past the 9:30 Club at 10 am on a Saturday morning and heard the sound of 60-plus drums? That’s the drum corps I play with, Batala Washington, having our weekly practice session. You might have seen us otherwise at the Marine Corps marathon, at the AIDS rally with Wyclef Jean, at the annual Cherry Blossom festival or just playing a guerilla show at 14th and U Streets NW.

Most recently, Batala participated in three separate shows in New York and New Jersey as part of the 50th anniversary tour of The Rolling Stones. You read that right, The Rolling Stones. Yep, we were in the same show as Lady Gaga, Bruce Springsteen and The Black Keys!

Batala Washington is an all-women percussion band that empowers women through drumming & promotes Brazil’s dynamic music & culture. Currently, we have over 60 members from the greater DC area, playing Afro-Brazilian / Samba-Reggae rhythms as part of the international collective of Batala bands. Batala Washington was voted by City Paper as DC’s 2012 Best Local Band.

On Saturday, January 12, we will be joined by percussionists from the National Symphony Orchestra in a demonstration and workshop as part of NSO in Your Community. The FREE event, from 11 am to 1 pm at the 9:30 Club will be an interactive workshop with the audience. For you fellow musicians, you are welcome to bring your drums and play with us. If not, just bring yourself, your friends, your kids, and your participation and we will have some spare drums.

Come out and support the NSO, Batala Washington and the community as we fill the U Street Corridor with music! Or, just come out to have a good time!

Atlantic Plumbing will bring three new apartment buildings and more than 25,000 square feet of retail to 8th Street NW. (Image courtesy of JBG).

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com.

JBG Companies and Walton Street Capital are currently working on the Atlantic Plumbing development project, which will bring three buildings of residences and more than 25,000 square feet of retail space to 8th and V Streets NW, the area by the 9:30 Club. The project includes retail space dedicated to local artists, luxury “green” amenities and streetscape improvements.

The addresses for the three sites are:

807 V Street NW and 2112 8th Street NW

2030 8th Street NW

933-945 Florida Avenue NW

Construction on the first two sites is expected to start early next year (Spring 2013) and finish in late 2014.

“We have not determined whether the project will deliver as apartments or condos, or split between the two buildings,” said James Nozar of JBG Companies.

“That decision will be based on market conditions as we get closer to delivery. However, we are building both buildings to such a high-level of design that we could make that determination very near the time of delivery of the buildings without impacting the project’s schedule.”

In addition to 375 living units, the Atlantic Plumbing project’s first two sites will also deliver approximately 25,000 square feet of combined ground-floor retail space.

A rendering of Atlantic Plumbing. (Courtesy of JBG)

“We’re targeting more artistic/cultural uses including a possible small theater, as well as a café or restaurant,” said Nozar. “There will be approximately eight ground-floor studio spaces of approximately 500 square feet each that will be discounted and targeted to artists and other creative users, subject to them being open during certain hours in order to activate the streetscape and provide a haven for arts-related uses.”

Atlantic Plumbing will also have a large setback along V Street NW to allow for a small plaza and outdoor dining uses. This space will also accommodate the evening lines from the project’s neighbor, the 9:30 Club.

According to Nozar, it’s too early to project price-points for the living spaces; these will be set closer to completion of the project. The project plans to include units that range from 500 square-foot junior one bedrooms, to 1,400 square foot two-plus bedroom units.

Atlantic Plumbing will also dedicate approximately 10 percent of the units as affordable housing units to those earning at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income, per DC’s Inclusionary Housing policy.

The designers of the project include Morris Adjmi, who will be leading the design of the exterior and interiors. Morris is teamed with local architect Eric Colbert & Associates, the Architect of Record.